British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker found success, landing some telling single shots in a match where the techniques never quite clicked, with excessive holding spoiling the contest.
Two judges had it 96-94 for to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but what do champions do? They succeed," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers felt the challenger, 31, deserved the decision but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-bout professional journey.
The Champion Secures Win in Slow Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through contract problems and long spells of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what seems like a last chance - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors ready to overcommit in a cagey early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, Parker had stayed in contention, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to barely take the better stanzas.
The crowd's patience wore thin during regular grabbing, with Parker going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
Hatton Tribute Motivates All-Manchester Contest
In the co-main event, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester contest to capture the European light-heavyweight belt.
The stadium grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as ten bells sounded in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the silence became a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow directly to the chin in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the referee's count.
But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, significant bruising developing under his eye as the pair exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
Arthur edged the decision with official scores of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and courageous, everything their inspiration Hatton stood for.
